The Let Teddy Win fans were out in force on Tuesday night to watch the Nationals win their penultimate home game of 2009.

An ABC News crew was on hand in Section 131 to document Teddy Roosevelt’s travails in the presidents race, and the Bull Moose did not disappoint (or did, as the case may be…).

Teddy maintained a slight lead through the first half of the race, but faded down the stretch, finishing a distant last as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson each helped pull Abraham Lincoln into the lead to take his 40th victory of the season. To celebrate, Abe led George and Tom in a presidential bunny hop along the first base line.

Wednesday’s season finale is being billed as Fan Appreciation Day, with free fleece blankets and countless other giveaways throughout the afternoon. Rumors are flying about the presidents race finale’. George and Tom remain tied for second place entering the game, but the real story is whether Teddy will pull out a season-closing victory.

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After missing the first four races of the homestand, Teddy Roosevelt teased the crowd in his return to action today at Nationals Park.

When Saturday’s presidents race began, Teddy was nowhere to be seen, but after Tom, George, and Abe had taken the field, Teddy appeared from the centerfield gate and drew a roar from the crowd as he put on a burst of speed to overtake his racing president foes.

It looked as if TR was about to celebrate his return by putting his losing streak behind him, but the excitement of the moment was apparently too much.

When he reached his cheering section along the first base line, #26 stopped to share in the excitement, and was soon passed by the other presidents. Of course, opportunistic Abe was positioned to mop things up.

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After a 4-game absence from the Washington Nationals presidents race, Teddy Roosevelt today confirmed that he’ll be back in the race for today’s 1:05pm start vs. the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park.

The Nationals had reported that Teddy was recuperating from a hamstring injury suffered during the team’s last homestand, though rumors suggested that the problem was in Teddy’s head. In confirming his return today, Teddy stuck to the story. “Hamstring…was day to day”, he wrote. “Thats my story and I’m sticking to it.”

Meanwhile Abe Lincoln ran away with last night’s race, jumping into the stands afterward to exchange high-fives with fans along the first base line.

With TR still out getting treatment for an injury, the three remaining presidents ran a tight race last night — that is, until they hit the home stretch. That’s when George Washington practically jumped on top of Abe Lincoln to tackle him to the ground in foul territory.

Clearly George gives revenge against Abe a higher priority than maintaining his lead over Jefferson for 2nd place in the standings.

Meanwhile, the Nationals remain mum about the treatment for Teddy’s injury, and with each absence, the rumor mill buzzes more loudly. We hear the frame that holds up Teddy’s head is broken. Let’s hope for the fans’ sake that they get him back in shape quickly — or that Teddy learns to play through the pain!

The Washington Nationals confirmed today that racing president Teddy Roosevelt would be held out of tonight’s presidents race at Nationals Park, marking the third straight race without fan favorite Teddy.

A spokesperson for the team told us that Teddy re-aggravated his hamstring injury from a few weeks ago. “He is getting treatment and we hope he’ll be back in the race by the weekend.”

The mysterious injury was first revealed on September 6, when it was announced to fans at the Park that Teddy had been injured during pre-game warmups. Roosevelt returned the next night and competed in the next 4 races, looking good and even finishing first on September 8, only to be disqualified from that race for cheating. However, Teddy has not appeared since that homestand ended on September 10. Unconfirmed rumors suggest that the hamstring story is a Nationals cover up for a wardrobe malfunction.

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Teddy Roosevelt sat out the presidents race at Nationals Park for the second night in a row Wednesday night.

Roosevelt’s mysterious hamstring injury continued to keep #26 from going for his first win. Abe took the victory with Teddy failing to make an appearance, as the Nationals Park crowd was told he was “still out. He’s rehabbing the hammy. He’ll be back soon.”

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For the second time this month, Teddy Roosevelt was scratched from the Washington Nationals presidents race due to a mysterious pre-game injury.

After watching their team give up seven runs to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the 4th inning, fans at Nationals Park were looking for something positive from the mid-inning presidents race.

Sadly, Teddy fans learned they had nothing to cheer for when it was announced that he would not be racing because he was “still nursing a hamstring injury.” The news was a surprise, given that the presidents had not raced since the Nats’ last home game on September 10.

With only three presidents racing, George Washington came from behind to claim victory.